Is This Any Way to Run a Railroad?
by 4Bluetiger
Summary: Trip tries to right some wrongs in time … with a little help.


Is This Any Way To Run A Railroad?

By: bluetiger

* * *

Rating: R

Genres: Finale fix

Keywords: Time Travel

* * *

Summary: Trip tries to right some wrongs in time …with a little help.

Author's Note: Thanks to the dear ladies who jumped on this premise and encouraged me to write it. The dialog between Future Guy and Archer was taken from Chrissie's transcripts.

* * *

Charles Tucker the Third knew he was about to die. A reptile like soldier had just shoved a rather nasty, long, serrated knife into his abdomen. Through the haze of pain, Trip managed to glance at the chronometer. He smiled in his agony, all his friends were dead already but at least these bastards would follow them in…twenty-three seconds. Trip stayed conscious long enough to feel the rumble as Enterprise began to self-destruct.

* * *

Trip realized that he was not in pain. Normally that would not be a surprise, but since the last thing he remembered was a knife in the gut…yeah, it was a bit odd.

Commander Tucker could tell he was on a biobed of sorts. He heard the soft beep of medical equipment. Trip tried to sit up and found himself weak and woozy. A hand settled on his shoulder, gently but firmly pushing him back down. He attempted to focus his vision. When his head stopped spinning, Trip followed the hand up a muscular arm to the face of a young Vulcan man.

"Am I on a Vulcan ship?" the confused engineer asked in a voice that sounded slurred to his own ears.

The young man looked at the readouts above Trip's head, "No Commander, this is not a Vulcan ship. Rest and your senses will clear. You should be able to get up shortly."

Assuming that this was his doctor, Trip wondered if he should be concerned because the Vulcan had such a serious expression. Trip smiled at the thought, 'Well hell, that doesn't mean anything… we are talking about Vulcans here.' For some reason this made him chuckle.

Looking at him in concern, the young man asked, "Are you feeling well Commander?"

"Yeah, I suddenly had the passing thought that you can't tell how good or bad you're doing, cause' Vulcans never smile."

Trip nearly fell off the bed when the handsome young Vulcan gave him a big grin,

"Now that's not always the case, Dad."

* * *

The man claiming to be his son gave Trip a quick explanation of what had just happened to him, even relating a few tales from Trip's childhood to prove his authenticity. He did not want to believe the young man's story, even though he knew about Trip putting his pet snake Ralph in the dollhouse and scaring the crap out of Lizzie and Michelle, but there was no denying that he felt a bond and immediate trust in this odd, smiling Vulcan.

Morgan decided that his father would be more relaxed talking in a comfortable setting, so the two men set off down the corridor. He kept a hand on his father's shoulder just in case. The engineer was still a little wobbly. The young man guided Trip to an unoccupied mess area, and then turned to get him a cup of coffee.

Watching the man at the replicator, Trip was amazed to see flashes of family members now lost. He smiled at this strange young Vulcan as a cup of coffee was placed in front of him. He grabbed the steaming cup and took a large swallow. Trip's heart did a nose-dive as he saw his 'son's' next gesture. A raised eyebrow confirmed it, sitting in front of him was a part of his beloved T'pol, that was for sure and certain.

The hot cup of coffee warmed his hands and gave Trip a sense of normalcy that he had been lacking for the last couple of hours.

"So, you are…"

"Charles Morgan Tucker the Fourth but everyone calls me Morgan."

"Morgan huh, our middle name. Bet that was your mother's idea and I will assume that T'Pol is your mother since I can see glimpses of her all over you."

Morgan smiled again, which unnerved Trip every time he did it, "Yeah, Mother always secretly liked your middle name and requested that's what you guys would call me. Grandma Robin always says that I am the child split down the middle, your height and build, Mother's coloring and ears. Now my sister T'Resa, she is the spitting image of you, Dad."

Trip beamed, "We have a girl, named after my grandmother I guess?"

"Actually I have two sisters. T'Resa is older and the younger is T'San, now she was named after Soval's late wife. You and Grandfather Soval were very close."

"Okay, now you're just making shit up!"

* * *

Trip took a deep breath, they had been talking for a while, mostly about a life he knew nothing about, but it was time for some answers. The engineer was feeling steadier and thought he could deal now.

"So you're telling me that you work with a temporal agency and they grabbed me just before I died."

"That's right, Dad. This is the United Temporal Agency. They grabbed you right before the explosion and brought you into the future, healing your injuries with some nifty new regenerative therapies they have now."

"Okay, the big question. Why?"

"First tell me what you remember of the last year."

Trip briefly wondered if this was some kind of trap but something indefinable made him trust this young man.

"A probe came to Earth and attacked without warning. It self-destructed after killing seven million people." Trip's voice broke, "Including your Aunt Lizzie."

The Commander took a sip of his coffee, giving himself time to regain his composure.

"We did a quick refit on Enterprise, and then headed out in the direction from which the probe entered our system. We bumbled around for months trying to find a lead. We couldn't even find out their species, much less an explanation of why they attacked. Then, after almost a year, another much larger weapon approached Earth. We engaged them, trying to stop it, but they fired and destroyed Earth. Then they boarded Enterprise and killed almost everyone…she was in engineering." The last words hung in Trip's throat as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I never even told her that I loved her."

Morgan was saddened to watch his father's pain but it steeled his resolve for what was to come.

Trip resumed his narrative, "The bridge was destroyed. I knew that the Captain, Malcolm, Hoshi and Travis were dead. They were taking no prisoners, so I decided to take as many of them with us as I could. I set the ship to self-destruct and next thing I know; here I am talking to my grown son."

"They're called the Xindi, Dad and you're here because none of this was supposed to happen."

Trip gave his son a look, "Should I be expecting Daniels to show up any minute now?"

Chuckling, Morgan said, "No, the 'powers that be' brought me here to work with you because…truthfully, Daniels turned out to be a screw-up. Practically everything he was involved in had to be reset."

* * *

Standing on the platform, Trip appeared to be a little nervous. He would rather Morgan do this but they decided that even a glimpse of a pointed ear shape would be a disaster for the timeline.

"Are we sure that helping the Suliban is such a good idea?"

"We are only giving them a few genetic enhancements, Dad, nothing that will make them a major player. According to the simulations we need their help to steer Archer in the right direction at the beginning of your first mission. Just promise them power and world domination, they'll do anything you want."

Trip's shimmering form appeared before Silik. By the end of their encounter, Silik had dreams of avarice and great power. The Commander, or 'Future Guy' as he and Morgan had dubbed his alter ego, had the minions they needed.

Sending the Suliban hither and yon to follow his orders was becoming old hat to Trip. He even felt a little guilty for enjoying it so much when he got to call Silik on the carpet and chew him out for things that happened exactly as they were suppose to.

Trip even used Silik to prevent an antimatter cascade when a group of pilgrims were aboard Enterprise. The two Tucker men closely watched the timeline from the temporal observatory. Anomalies popped up that had to be dealt with but it was imperative to get the Enterprise and Captain Archer's crew on course for their correct destiny.

Trip met several temporal agents and a lot more history techs, but General Shetlar was the man in charge of this zoo. Trip had met with the temporal council several times; however they seemed more than pleased with Morgan's grasp of temporal mechanics and trusted him to make the adjustments needed. Shetlar appeared to be in his seventies, an older fatherly figure. Trip could tell that the General was aware of everything going on around him; he had eyes like a hawk. The Commander had a suspicion that they would try to recruit his son to work for them when this was over.

Today was the day that Trip, as 'Future Guy' would appear to Archer, telling him that it was the Xindi that attacked Earth and where to look for them.

Trip and Morgan were in the mess taking a much needed break. Two temporal agents walked past, looking at Trip with awe.

He sighed, "I wish they'd stop doing that. It's not like I'm a celebrity or something."

"Well Dad, you must admit, from a history standpoint, you are a rock star. You know the guy that perfected the first human Warp 5 engine, first human to marry a Vulcan and all that. Besides, when I first got here they did it to me too."

"How long have you been here by the way?"

"Several months. I was standing on a beach on Risa, and then suddenly I'm here. The council promises to put me back at that exact moment when this is done. In fact they say it's important that they do. They just wanted time to teach me the technology so you and I could work together on this. I guess they also felt that working with your son would give you more impetus to try and correct things. This is such a key time in Earth history, that's why we have so many historians assigned to research for us."

Trip looked up from his cup of coffee, "Morgan is there no way we could just stop the first attack by the Xindi?"

His son's shoulder's slumped, "We've run the simulations over and over. The sphere builders are too powerful in their own right to thwart that easily. The best we can do is stop the second weapon." Morgan reached out and touched his father's arm, "Dad, Aunt Lizzie died young in my timeline. Some things are just inevitable."

Drawing a deep breath, Trip said, "Tell me about T'Pol."

"I believe you're already acquainted with her," Morgan laughed.

Trip smiled, "I know, but tell me about the woman from your timeline, the one I married and had three children with."

His son took on a thoughtful look, "You two fell in love while working together on Enterprise. Captain Archer married you. You guys bought a home in San Francisco before I was born."

"Were we happy?"

"There were a lot of people that tried to stand in your way. It wasn't all roses at first but Soval stood up for you guys and your bond. That went a long way with the Vulcans, plus you had many friends in high places in Starfleet. By the time I was grown you two where practically legendary. Grandfather Soval was a very close part of our family."

"So you weren't kidding about that, huh," said a smiling Trip.

"Mom loved you and everything about your people but she never wavered from her Vulcan roots. She taught us kids all about what it means to be Vulcan however we never felt pressured to be one thing or the other. You two still argued, mostly behind closed doors. You always presented a united front to us kids. But your passion for one another was deep. I don't think I have ever known two people so much in love. The two of you could never keep your hands off each other for very long. I even walked in on you two making love on the couch when I was about fourteen." Morgan tilted his head, a look of concentration on his face, "Although I think you guys were on the enzyme, trying to conceive T'San at the time. That stuff always made you fu…"

"Morgan!"

"I was gonna say full of energy."

Trip blushed, "Okay, that's enough information about that. So there was no war in your timeline?"

"Oh, there was a war but it wasn't with the Xindi, have you ever heard of Romulans?"

* * *

Trip waited for Silik to bring Captain Archer to the Suliban ship. He wasn't looking forward to this but Archer needed the information about the Xindi so the next year would not be wasted. Enterprise needed to head for the Delphic Expanse quickly.

Through the shimmer effect, Trip saw Archer being escorted in. Silik was telling him to step closer to the platform.

Archer looked tired and worn down. He asked Silik who Trip was.

Silik answered with contempt, "He wants to talk to you. It would be foolish to ignore him."

Captain Archer stepped closer to the image that Trip presented of Future Guy.

"What do you want?" Archer asked with a combination of anger and resignation.

"Your planet was attacked." Trip was fully in his stern Future Guy persona.

"I'm aware of that."

"What you're not aware of is why. The probe was sent by the Xindi. They learned that their world would be destroyed by humans in four hundred years."

Jon was paying close attention now, "How would they know what's going to happen in four hundred years?"

"They were told by people from the future. People who can communicate through time." Trip knew he needed to lay it out for Jon as simply as possible.

"Are they the ones the Suliban are working for?"

"The Suliban work for me."

"So you're the one who tried to start a civil war in the Klingon Empire, the one who's manipulated my mission from day one."

If Jon only knew all the twists and turns it had taken to get him to this point. Temporal manipulation was a pain in the ass. Every small change could cascade in a heartbeat.

Trip continued the necessary exposition, "The people who have contacted the Xindi belong to another faction. The probe was only a test. The Xindi are building a far more powerful weapon. When it is completed, they will use it to destroy Earth."

Jon nodded, "Annihilate us before we can annihilate them. Why are you telling me this?"

"The Xindi were not supposed to learn of their future. If they deploy this weapon, it will contaminate the timeline. You must not let that happen."

"Why should I believe you?"

This was the question Trip knew Jon would ask.

"You have no choice but to believe me."

Trip was aware that this would be a hard sell to Starfleet, so he told Archer to quantum date the wreckage from the probe and the future components would register as negative numbers. This would be his proof that it came from the future. He dismissed Archer and had Silik return him to Enterprise.

When the transmission ended, Morgan could tell his father was exhausted. He walked with Trip back to his quarters.

"Get some rest, Dad. After we sleep and eat a bite there will be a lot of temporal data to plow through."

Trip looked up through tired eyes, "I hope it worked."

* * *

Morgan and Trip had spent days watching the mission into the Expanse play out. The images of that year swirled around them. Things seemed to be progressing as the simulations predicted.

"Hell fire, what is that neuro pressure stuff your Mom is giving me?" Trip asked in amazement.

"It's something she taught you after your marriage in my timeline. A Vulcan practice that you liked very much by the way." Morgan smirked.

"Yeah, I bet."

It was difficult to watch much of what went down in the Delphic Expanse. The only time Trip begged to go in and change something was when Sim was created. This was the hardest for him to bear. But General Shetlar forbade it. All the simulations required Sim's death for things to play out as they needed too.

Trip watched as T'Pol gave Sim a goodbye kiss and was proud of her for offering comfort to this young man that was about to save his life.

In the end the Xindi mission turned out as well as any war could. People were changed and hardened but the timeline appeared back on track.

One anomaly popped up. A time traveler named Vosk, with delusions of grandeur, tried to enter Earth's past during World War II but Morgan sent a squad of temporal police to capture him and the nasty incident was avoided entirely.

Trip was watching Archer being debriefed by Starfleet and the Vulcans when he heard his son groan.

"No, no, no. This is wrong, how can this be happening?"

Trip stepped over to the section of the temporal observatory images that Morgan was scanning.

"What?"

"For all of us kids to come along at the proper time, you and Mom should be getting together about now."

"So, what's happening?"

Morgan turned to his father and said in a horrified voice, "Mother just married some guy named Koss!"

"Excuse me!"

Apparently, even though Trip and T'Pol had grown close during their time in the Delphic Expanse neither had been willing to talk openly to each other about their feelings. T'Pol had withdrawn after a glorious night together during the mission. Trip, trying to protect himself from being hurt, had assumed a bravado he didn't feel.

"I can't believe that you and Mother where already so in love but too scared and hard-headed to sit down and talk. Look at this, you even transfer to Columbia trying to get over her and the bond draws you back." Pointing at the flowing timeline, Trip's son continued in a heated voice, "Just look at all this unnecessary angst. What were you two thinking?"

"Calm down, Son. I can understand that T'Pol would be scared. A life with an emotional Human probably seemed pretty daunting, not to mention all the physical problems she's dealing with. But I've had enough of missed opportunities." Trip remembered seeing T'Pol killed before his eyes by the Xindi. If any experience could put things in perspective, it was that. He thought for a minute. "Tell me more about this bond you keep mentioning."

* * *

T'Pol was sitting in the garden of her mother's home, trying her best to come to a meditative state. She was having no luck. Bringing Trip home with her had seemed like a good way for them to spend time together. She had come to care a great deal for Trip and had hopes that they would come to an understanding on his first visit to Vulcan.

Unfortunately, today had devolved into a nightmare. Koss had come to her family home bearing the news that her mother had been forced out of her job because of T'Pol. His family was influential and had promised restitution to T'Les, if T'Pol married Koss immediately.

Trip did not take the news well when she told him during the tour of the lava fields. She had not seen him since. He went in to the city and she did not expect him to come back tonight.

Much to her surprise, Trip stepped out from behind the large, decorative, garden fountain.

"T'Pol, we need to talk. I have things to tell you and it's important that you listen with an open mind." Trip sat on the bench beside her but not touching her.

"I was shocked and I know I didn't respond well at the lava fields. When we left on this trip, the last thing I expected was that you would agree to marry another man."

T'Pol's normally rigid posture drooped slightly. How could she make Trip understand that this was the last thing she wanted to have happen. The thought of marrying Koss was almost physically painful.

"Trip, this is not what I desire but my mother is being used as a pawn to punish me. I have to do this for her."

Giving T'Pol a small smile, Trip replied, "I understand. I really do." He stood and walked across the garden, standing with his back to her for a few minutes.

Turning he said, "If your mother's career was not a factor, would you marry me, T'Pol?"

Her eyes widened, "You have never spoken to me of a lifetime commitment before. Why would you suddenly decide that you wish to marry me?"

"I was afraid of being rejected. You and I never spoke of our feelings for each other after our encounter in the expanse. I didn't call you on that crap you spouted the next morning because I was scared too. Now things have changed. I thought we would have time to work it out, but that isn't going to happen. We need to think this through and do what is right for us. I can't let you marry Koss because; believe me, if I lost you it would break my heart."

Trip knelt in front of the beautiful Vulcan woman, still not touching her.

T'Pol looked into the blue eyes before her, wanting nothing more, she realized, than to spend her life with him. Responsibility to family weighed heavily on her mind.

"Trip, this is larger than the two of us. My mother was dismissed from her job because of my actions. How can we be content if I let her bear that burden for me?"

"T'Pol, suppose that your mother's destiny was not to return to the academy? Sometimes what we think of as a bad break in life just sets us on the path we were destined to follow."

"So you believe that Mother will find contentment in life if she does not return to her career at the academy?"

"What I believe is that we can't fix everything. Someone recently showed me that sometimes we just have to work with what we're given and make the best of it."

Trip knew that now was the time to implement the plan he and Morgan had devised.

"T'Pol you must marry me," Trip said, reaching out to take her hand in his. He sure hoped this would work.

* * *

In preparation for his visit with T'Pol, Trip received some instructions from his son. Morgan tried to explain that the 'Trip' from that time would still be him and remember the conversation with T'Pol, just nothing about his time at the temporal agency. He nodded as if understanding but actually it just made his head hurt.

"I believe you Son; let's just get on with it."

Trip and Morgan sat side by side on the floor of his quarters at the United Temporal Agency complex.

"First thing you need to do Dad, is relax. Meditation is not hard, Mother taught you in my time and you had a gift for it."

"I find that hard to believe," Trip said wiggling around to get comfortable.

Morgan smiled, "You'd be surprised what that woman could persuade you to do. Now try to relax and concentrate on the flame."

Staring at the candle on the table in front of him, Trip began to control his breathing as his son had instructed earlier. He soon became mesmerized by the flame. Slowly the scene around him changed.

"Where are we?" Trip asked with a grin.

"This is my treehouse in the back yard of our home in San Francisco. Or more precisely, the treehouse you and Uncle Alan built for T'Resa. I sort of took it over when she got older; it was my fortress of solitude from the girls when I was young. Most Vulcans have a place they go in their mind during meditation. This is mine. We can change the scene if you prefer."

Trip stood up and looked out the window at a beautiful lawn and the back deck of a comfortable looking home.

With an unexpected lump in his throat, Trip whispered, "No, this will do fine."

For the next several hours Morgan explained to his father about a Vulcan mate bond.

"So your mother and I have a connection that links our minds. We can sense each others emotions and communicate through this link?"

"Its strength varies between couples, but your connection to Mother was supposed to have been exceptionally strong. You and Mom could just look at each other and we kids could tell you were in silent communication."

"So once formed, this bond was permanent?"

"Under certain circumstances a Vulcan priest can sever a bond. The bond between you two was so strong that Grandfather Soval once told me he feared permanent damage if your bond was ever broken."

"So what happens when one of us dies?"

"There is a Vulcan ritual that is preformed," Morgan wanted to side step this issue. He had already seen what happened to his parents and his Father did not need this information now.

Morgan reached his hand to the side of his father's face, placing his fingers in position for a meld.

"If your plan is going to work, I need to give you a little boost. Your bond with your children is nowhere near as strong as the bond you have with Mother, but it should be enough for what you have in mind."

Initiating the meld, Morgan entered his father's mind and jump started the portion of his brain that controlled his psychic abilities.

Trip felt a little tickle in the back of his mind, almost a hum. He knew instinctively that it was the presence of his son. All he could manage was a single word.

"Wow!"

Morgan sure hoped that this would work.

* * *

T'Pol felt a jolt akin to electricity shoot up her spine as Trip took her hand. This had never occurred before and both of them flinched.

"What was that?" Trip asked.

"I do not know. We have touched many times but I have never before felt this sensation."

"T'Pol, all I know is that I feel connected to you and the thought of you with this other man makes me want to kill him."

T'Pol felt a strange sensation in her mind, a warmth and enveloping comfort. It was as if a blanket had been placed around her on a cold morning. No, it couldn't be, not with a human surely.

"Trip, may I try something?"

"Anything, Darlin'."

T'Pol placed her hand on the side of Trip's face. It merely took this slightest of touches for their minds to intertwine. T'Pol realized that a mate-bond had formed with this man.

"I hope you are correct about my mother's destiny, because it is done. You and I have somehow become bonded; there will be no other marriage for me."

Trip smiled with delight, "I don't know what bonded means but if it includes you marrying me then it's a very good thing."

"Koss will not be able to call a challenge because in Vulcan culture a mate-bond supersedes any other claim."

"I will fight for you if I need too, Darlin'. You have to be my wife, nothing is more important."

Trip stood and pulled T'Pol to her feet, taking her into his arms and holding her tight.

"Trip the bond is making you feel the need to fight for me."

He chuckled, "Maybe. I don't know, but I won't lose you again. That I'm sure of."

* * *

Morgan was in the temporal observatory. There were several techs scurrying about, but Trip was not there. After his return, he left for a meeting with Shetlar and the council to give them an update. Things were going well now, and the timeline appeared to be repaired. The key had been to make T'Pol aware of the bond much earlier than had occurred before.

Shortly after Trip and T'Pol returned to Enterprise they were married much to everyone's surprise. Thanks to the enzyme therapy devised by Phlox, T'Resa made her appearance about eighteen months later. It was a relief for Morgan to see Trip and T'Pol finally married and baby T'Resa toddling about the ship, charming everyone in her wake.

Later that day, Morgan felt his stomach drop. He needed to find his father. Now!

Trip was sitting in the mess near a window staring at the stars, the usual cup of coffee in his hands.

"What's wrong now?" Trip inquired as Morgan walked up behind him. "I can see by the expression on your reflection that it isn't good."

Morgan took the chair beside his father. He leaned over with his elbows resting on his knees and rubbed his temples for a minute. Then he spoke.

"Why can't anything ever be easy?"

Trip chuckled, "It's the famous Tucker luck Son, and I'd think you'd be used to it by now."

"You'd think."

"So, what's the latest disaster?"

Shaking his head, Morgan replied, "You still die, only this time it's when T'Resa is small and you guys are headed back to Earth so Uncle Jon can sign the Coalition Charter."

"What's the enabling factor this time?" Trip was getting way too familiar with temporal speak.

"Shran didn't join the crew of Enterprise as first officer."

"Shran joined Starfleet? How on Earth did that happen and why did he take your Mom's job?" Trip was now totally confused.

"Shran lost his ship, the Kumari. The Andorian Imperial Guard transferred him to the Corp of Ambassadors. A desk job, so to speak, didn't suit him so Archer convinced Shran to join Starfleet and replace Mother. You guys had decided to move back to Earth and work at R&D.

Taking a slow sip of his coffee, Trip wondered aloud, "What makes our family so important? Son, did you ever stop to think that maybe I was supposed to die. Perhaps we're just fighting the inevitable?"

Morgan smiled, "The one thing in all of this that I'm sure of, is that you live a very long life with Mother. The council has shown me things that make that imperative. You and Mom have many more things to accomplish. Besides Starfleet needs to be set right. Can you believe it; in this current timeline not one person on Archer's senior staff gets a promotion in ten years?"

"Well, that is screwed up."

"In this timeline Shran gets involved with a criminal gang. They get aboard Enterprise and you blow yourself up protecting Archer," Morgan shook his head. "It was an extremely stupid death."

The Tuckers set no less than ten history techs on it, but no one could pinpoint the reason that Shran chose the private sector over Starfleet. Finally it was decided that Morgan would do an insertion during what appeared to be a pivotal moment.

The Delaxus peace conference seemed to be about the time Shran hung up his ambassador's boots. By all accounts it was a boring affair with nothing untoward occurring. It so happened that Vulcan was providing security for the conference, so dressed as a Vulcan security officer with all the proper identification, Morgan stepped through the portal. He was now, Sub-Commander Gant, assigned to guard Ambassador Shran.

The door of the suite slid open as Morgan approached. He came face to face with Shran. Without a word, the Andorian Ambassador headed down the corridor.

Morgan hustled to catch up, "Sir, I was not informed that you were intending to go out."

Shran looked up at the taller man, "Well consider yourself informed Vulcan. I need a drink, so if you're guarding me…it's going to be in the nearest bar."

In the lobby, Shran stopped by the desk to inquire if Delaxus had any lively drinking establishments nearby. Morgan dived into the door of the taxi, barely making it before the hatch shut.

"Ambassador, are you sure this is wise?"

Shran looked Morgan up and down, then laughed, "Wise or not Vulcan, you have just become my drinking partner."

The establishment they entered had sensual music playing and women of many species dancing around brass poles. The clientele were also of many species, very loud and mostly drunk. There was gambling at tables in the back.

'Great', Morgan thought, 'not only do I have to find out what's going on in that blue head of his, but I have to do it keeping him out of trouble in a nudie bar'.

After several hours of drinking Shran started to open up to Gant telling him how boring it was being an ambassador and how he missed being out in space on the bridge of a ship. He insisted that Gant join him drink for drink. When he declined a drink Shran would stop talking to him, so early on Morgan realized how this was going to play out. Thankfully, he had his father's ability to hold his liquor.

"You know, I usually don't like Vulcans but you're alright," Shran slurred slapping Morgan on the back. "You remind me of a Vulcan female I know. She's in Starfleet, married to a good man. Have another drink, Gant, let's drink to T'Pol Tucker."

Morgan's pointed ears perked up when Shran started talking about Enterprise and how Archer had asked him to join his crew.

"Are you considering this career path, Ambassador?"

"I don't know. I was Captain of my own ship for years; it would not be easy taking orders from someone else. Especially a pinkskin," Shran laughed.

The Andorian decided it would be funny to buy Sub-Commander Gant a lap dance. Morgan tried to talk him out of it but Shran would not be deterred. As the Orion dancer writhed on Morgan's lap, Shran informed her that she was never going to get a rise out of a Vulcan but to continue because he was paying for it. The young man's head began to swim a little; he decided something must be wrong with the climate controls. It was really getting hot in here.

Looking under the dancer's green arm, Morgan asked, "If you dislike being an ambassador, would it not be better to be second on a starship?"

Shran tilted his head and Morgan couldn't tell if he was thinking or watching the pretty little dancer. He was definitely going to need to speak with the club manager. It really was getting hot in here.

At the end of the dance, Sella the Orion dancer was aware of two things. One was that she must be the best lap dancer on Delaxus to get such a reaction from this particular man, and two, Vulcans were really well endowed. She wished that she could take this yummy one home.

Finally speaking, Shran offered, "I do have respect for this particular pinkskin."

"Being the first Andorian officer in Starfleet would be a prestigious accomplishment Ambassador," Morgan managed to say, all the while trying to methodically regain control of his breathing.

Shran grabbed Morgan's sleeve, "Come on Gant, I feel like gambling."

They spent the next several hours drinking and playing various games of chance. They continued to talk about Starfleet, with Morgan promoting it whenever possible. Finally, Shran turned to him with a gambling chip in his hand. He swayed as he spoke.

"Tell you what Gant, I'll flip this coin. Heads I join Starfleet, tails I leave the Imperial Guard and go into the private sector."

Rage flared in the young man's heart, he couldn't be serious. His father's life decided with a coin toss. Before he could stop himself Morgan frowned at Shran. The Andorian's eyes widened.

"So, you don't approve," Shran gave Gant a calculating look. "A bet then, since for some reason it seems important to you. I will join Starfleet if you will go up on the stage and give one of the dancers a great big kiss."

For some reason this made the drunken Andorian hysterical with laughter. Shran took his hesitation as reluctance, but in truth, Morgan was thinking, 'Can it really be that easy?'

Morgan walked over to the stage and stood. He looked among the girls for Sella, the dancer that gave him the lap dance. Spotting her, Morgan stepped up on stage, whirled her around and bent her deeply back. Finding her lips, Morgan kissed her soundly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shran drop his drink.

Sub-Commander Gant delivered Ambassador Shran back to his room in the early hours of the morning. Shran turned at the door and reached out his hand.

"Gant, you are the most interesting Vulcan that I have ever met."

Morgan took the extended hand, "And you are an honorable man Shran. I shall follow your career in Starfleet with great interest."

A little later, stepping through the portal Morgan found his father waiting for him.

Trip grinned, "Well that was a hoot and a half to watch!"

The absurdity of the whole thing began to sink in and the Tucker men started to laugh.

Trip regained his breath, "I swear…is this any way to run a railroad?"

* * *

Morgan was in the temporal observatory. His father had just been reinserted into the timeline which by all appearances was on track. The young man had a frown on his face as General Shetlar walked up behind him.

"Are you sure my Father has no memory of his time here or any of the other timelines?"

The General huffed out a breath, "I'm sure. If he remembers anything it will seem like a vague dream that will fade quickly."

"Good."

"You know Tucker; you're very good at this. I would like it if you became a permanent temporal agent."

"We had a deal, General. I want to go back to my life."

"I know but it was worth a try. What are you observing?" Shetlar asked, gazing around at the flowing images.

"Before I go I'm making sure that the encounter with the Organians plays out like it's supposed to." Morgan pointed to an image, "Here is where Dad and Aunt Hoshi die. I just need to see for myself that the Organians keep their word and heal them."

"They never do find out why their aging process slows down to a crawl do they?" asked the General, rubbing his chin.

"No, they knew it began after they recover from the silicon virus but neither ever knew it was because of what the Organians did when they gave them their life back."

"How long did Sato and your father live?"

Morgan turned to face the General, "A long time. Remember your promise General. I go on two more missions for you and I have your word that you will let me do an insertion at the time of my parent's death. "

"Don't worry Tucker, you have my word. You take care of Paxton and do the job on Romulus and I promise you can go in and deal with your parents. Trust me; I'm well aware of the importance of that situation. It must follow the correct timeline or all hell will break loose."

The End


End file.
